Hopper-car.



E. .n. HkL'LMAN. HOPPER CAB. APPLICATION FILED AUG-B, 19H.

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Ann on. m nfl H a. o fl M 0 9 m 4 M P f mamm E, D. HILLMAN.

HOPPER CAR. APPucATwN mm was. 13!].

Patented June 4, 1918.

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E. D HILLMAN.

HOPPER CAR.

.' APPLICATION FILED AUG.8 I917- 1 8o Patented June 4:.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3- E. D. HILLMAN. HOPPER CAR.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-8. 1917. L fififllgo Patented June 4,1918.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

EDWARD D. HILLMAN, 0F LARCHMONT, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 BENJAMIN A.

' HEGEMAN, JR, OF NORTH PLAIN'FIELD, NEW JERSEY.

HOPFER-CAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June a, rare.

Application filed August 8, 1917. Serial No. 184,997.

To all whom i2} may concern."

Be it known that I, EDWARD D. HILLMA'N, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Larchmont, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hopper-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

The invention pertains more particularly to hopper cars for carrying coal. and other materials, and one of the purposes of the invention is to so construct and dispose the hoppers and discharge doors as to very materially increase the cubical capacity of the car and lower its point of center of gravity. A-

further purpose of the .invention is while accomplishing the object hereinbefore mentioned, to increase the discharge area of the car whereby the load may be more quickly discharged. A further object of the invention is to construct the car with a plurality of hoppers having discharge floors inclined in the same direction and so connect the doors of all the hoppers that said doors may be simultaneously opened and closed from an operating shaft extending transversely across the car near the end thereof, and preferably exposed at both ends so that the doors may be operated either to open or close from either'side of the car. A still further purpose of the invention is to simplify the construction of hopper cars and to provide a hopper car of great strength and efiiciency and capable of being readily constructed in a durable manner with the minimum number of parts, thi portion of my invention having more particularly to do with the construction of the hoppers and the downwardly and inwardly inclined end bottom ieets leading to the end hoppers.

.The invention will be fully understood from the detailed description hereinafter presented, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a hopper car constructed in accordance with and embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section through the same, taken at one side of the center sills or about on the dotted line 3-3 of Fig. 6 on which the section of Fig. 3 is taken; i

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section, partly broken away, on a larger scalethrough a portion of the car, taken on the dotted line 3-3 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section through a portion of the car, taken at the adjacent ends of two hoppers thereof, for

instance the two right hand hoppers presented in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a detached perspective view of the bottom plate for the hoppers, the hoppers, with the exception of the right hand end hopper, looking at Fig. 2, being closed at one side by the said plate and at the other side equipped with a hinged door;

Fig. 6 is a top View, partly in section and partly broken away, of a portion of the car, %his being the left handportion shown in Fig. 7 is a detached perspective view, partly broken away, of the several plates comprising the left hand (looking at Figs. 2 and 6) downwardly and inwardly inclined end bottom sheet leading to the adjacent end hopper and the adjacent end inner side hopper plates or frames which extend over the center sills and afford inner hopper sheets, these several plates being shown as separated from each other but in position to be assembled and riveted together;

Fig. 8 is a detached perspective view of one of the plates or frames to extend over the center sills and aiford the inner hopper sheets for one of the intermediate hoppers, the plate or frame shown in Fig. 8 being adapted for direct connection with the plate or frame shown in Fig. 7 constituting the inner side hopper sheets for the left hand end hopper;

Fig. 9 is a Vertical transverse section, partly broken away, through the car, taken on the dotted line 9'9 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 10 is a sectional View, partly broken away, through a portion of the car, taken on the dotted line 1010 of Fig. 4:, and

Fig-l1 is a detached perspective view of one of the outer side hopper sheets.

In the drawings, 15 designates the several hoppers which extend downwardly below the center sills 16 and side sills 17 and are formed with outer side sheets 18, inner side sheets 19 and inclined bottom plates or sheets 20, one of which is shown in Fig. 5, down which bottom sheets, when permitted so to do, the coal or the like automatically discharges. The right hand hopper 15, looking at Figs. 1 and 2, has its inclined bottom formed by the downward extension of the main adjacent downwardly and inwardly inclined main end bottom sheet, as hereinl ltil after explained, instead of by one of the plates 20.

The hoppers 15 are transverse of the car and in the construction presented I illustrate four of said hoppers at each side of the center sills, although not intending to limit my invention to the employment of any specific number of the hoppers, since for a longer car I would employ a greater number of hoppers than four at each side of the center sills, and for a shortercar I might employ three of said hoppers. The bottoms of the hoppers all incline in the same direction, and at their discharge portions these hoppers are provided with doors 21 which, when in their closed position, incline reversely to the said bottoms. The doors 21 may be of any usual or suitable construction and at their upper ends they are hinged, as at 22, to the adjacent portions of the car, the rivets for the hinges 22 extending through plates 23, 24 and the upper portions of the bottom plates 20 (Figs 4 and 10). The doors 21 all correspond with one another and the doors are connected in transverse pairs by beams 25, as usual, said beams being securely riveted to the lower edge portions of the doors.

The doors 21 are connected together in series by pivoted links 26 so that all of the doors may be operated simultaneously on both their opening and closing movements. The links 26 extend lengthwise of the car below the space formed between the center sills 16. The links 26 are pivotally connected together and in series are pivotally connected, as usual, with the beams 25 which connect the doors 21 in transverse pairs, and'the end doors '21 at the right, looking at Figs. 1 and 2, have the link 26 connected with them, connected by a link 27 with a crank-shaft 28 through which, by means of a wrench or other tool, all of the links 26 may be actuated to open or close the doors 21. I recommend the employment of an auxiliary shaft 29 having thereon a cam 30 by which the crank shaft 28 may be initiated in movement, and usually a pawl mechanism, indicated informally in Fig. 1, is provided to lock the operating shaft 28 against movement during the travel of the car. My present invention is not confined to any special mechanism for opening and closing the doors 21, since various mechanisms already well-known may be employed for this purpose. One such mechanism is fully shown and described in my pending application bearing Serial No. 152,625, filed March 6, 1917. I do not illustrate the door operating mechanism in detail, because this mechanism forms no essential portion of my present invention and may be varied at will. Irecommend that the operating shaft 28 and auxiliary shaft 29 have exposed ends at each side of the car so that the doors 21 may be opened or closed from either side of the car.

My invention resides more particularly in the construction of those portions of the car-having to do with the hoppers which extend downwardly below the floor line of the car and below the side and center sills, said side and center sills preferably being of the usual channel-beam formation.

The car has the customary side plates 31 and ends 32 and the car at its ends is equipped with the main downwardly and inwardly inclined floor plates or sheets 33, 34 leading to the end hoppers 15. The left hand flooring 33, looking at Fig. 2, is illustrated in detail in Fig. 7, in which it may be seen that said flooring comprises lateral side plates 35, 36 and a connecting central plate 37, the plate 37 being adapted to lie upon and be riveted'to the facing inner edge portions of the plates 35,36. The plates 35, 36 are upwardly flanged at their outer edges, as at 38, and at said flanges are riveted to the sides 31 of the car. The upper edges of the plates 35, 36, 37 are perforated to be riveted to a flange 39 bent inwardly from the lower edge of the left hand end 32 of the car, looking at Figs. 2 and 3. The plates 35, 36 are longer than the plate 37, and the plate 37 is recessed at its lower end, as at 40, to be placed upon and riveted to the flange 41 formed on the frame 42, which afl'ords the inner hopper sheets 19 for the left hand hoppers 15, looking at Figs. 2 and 3. The frame 42 is formed from sheet metal and'is bent to form parallel sides creating the inner hopper sheets 19, a hood 43 extending over the center sills 16 and edge flanges 44, 45, 46 and 41. The plates 35, 36 along their lowerinner edge portions are secured upon the upper downwardly inclined parts of the flanges 46, 46 of the frame 42, and below .the lower edges of the plates 35, 36 the 'said plates 35, 36 is riveted an angle 47 which extends transversely of the car and receives the hinge members for the aforesaid left hand doors 21. The inner rivets for the angle 47 also extend through the flanges 46, 46 of the frame 42 adjacent to the lower edges of the plates 35, 36. The

plates 35, 36, 37- and frame 42 are further strengthened and connected by transverse angles 48, 49, shown in-Figs. 2 and 3 and indicated by dotted lines in Fig, 6. The

frame 42 is in one integral piece of plate and as aforesaid constitutes a hood 43'extending over the center sills 16 and provides the inner sheets 19 for the left hand hoppers 15.

The second to the left hand hoppers 15, looking at Figs. 1, 2 and 3, have theirinner sheets 19 formed by a frame 50, shown in detail in Fig. 8, which frame corresponds in many respects to the frame 42 hereinbefore described and affords a hood 51 extending over the center sills and provides the aforesaid inner sheets 19 for said hoppers, said sheets 19 being parallel to each other and corresponding at each side of the center sills. .The frame 50 at its left hand edge is formed with the right angle flanges 52, 53 and at its right hand edge with the right angle flanges 54 and 55. The flanges 53, 55 converge downwardly, as shown in Figs. 3 and 8. In the assembling of the parts of the car, the flange 52 at theupper left hand portion of the frame 50 is riveted to the flange 44 of the frame 42, and the flanges 53 serve as abutments or jambs for the second to the; left hand doors 21, The bottoms for the hoppers 15 with the exception of the right hand end hoppers, are formed by plates 20 of the character shown in Fig. 5, which plates 20 at their upper edges are bent angularly, as at ,56. The edges of the plates 20 are riveted to the flanges 45 of the frame 42 to form the bottoms for the extreme left hand transverse pair of hoppers 15, and the edges of the plates 20 for the second to the left hand transverse pair of hoppers 15 are riveted to the flanges 55 of the frame 50. The up-' per angular edges of the plates 20 are recessed, as at 57 (Fig. 5), to escape the matching flanges 44, 52 of the frames 42, 50, as indicated in Fig. 9. \Vithin the angle formed at the upper ends of each pair of plates 20 is riveted an angle bar 24, which strengthens the car as a whole and receives the hinges 22 and their angle plates 23 for the doors 21.

- The bottom plates 20 for the second to the left hand transverse pair of hoppers 15 correspond exactly with the bottom plates 20 for the extreme left hand end pair of hoppers 15 and they are riveted to the flanges 55 of the frame 50 and at their upper angular ends receive the angle bar 24 and hinge members for the third to the left hand doors 21.

The frame for the inner hopper sheets of the third left hand transverse pair of hoppers 15 is numbered 58 and it corresponds with the frame 50 and affords a hood 59 extending over the center sills and also the aforesaid inner hopper sheets 19, and said frame 58 at its left hand edge, looking at Fig. 3, is formed with a flange 60 to be riveted t0 the flange 54 of the frame 50 and with downwardly inclined flanges 61 to afford abutments for the third to the left hand pair of doors 21, said flanges 61 corresponding with the flanges 53 of the frame 50, shown in detail in Fig. 8. At its right hand edge, looking at Figs. 1 and 3, the frame 58 is formed with right angle flanges 62 and downwardly inclined flanges 162 which correspond with the flanges 55 of the frame 50 and to which is riveted the bottom plates 20 for the third pair of hoppers 15 counting from the left hand end of Fig. 2.

The inner hopper sheets 19 for the right hand transverse pair of hoppers 15 are afforded by a frame 63 which extends over the center sills and provides a hood 64 therefor. The frame 63 corresponds in many particulars with the frames 42, 50, 58 and at its left hand edge is flanged, as at 65, and riveted to the flange 62 of the frame 58.

At its lower left hand edges the fr ame 63 has flanges corresponding with the flanges 46' of the frame 42 to serve as abutments for the righthand doors 21, and at its lower right hand edges said frame 63 is flanged to receive the downwardly extending portions of the right hand main downwardly inclined end floor 34, said portions extending downwardly to the lower pointed end of the frame 63 and having secured to them angle members 66, 67, 68. The left hand main downwardly inclined end sheet or floor 33 differs somewhat from the other end floor sheet 34 in that the left hand doors 21 must be taken care of with relation to the floor 33, while the floor 34 may'uninterruptedly extend, except at the center sills, to the lower edge of the right hand transverse pair of hoppers 15. The frames 42, 50, 58 and 63 are each in one integral piece of plate affording the inner hopper sheets for the transverse pairs of hoppers and hoods covering over the center sills and having downwardly diverging upper surfaces so as not to arrest boal'or the like on their upper surfaces, and all of said frames are riveted against the flat faces of the center sills, as shown, as well as being riveted to each other in series. The frames 42, 50 and 58 are also riveted to the inner edges of the bottom plates 20, and the frame 42 is riveted to the left hand inclined floor 33, whilethe frame 63 is riveted to the right hand inclined floor 34.

Both end bottom plates or floors 33, 34 have side edge flanges "38,- to be riveted to the sides of the car and upper edges to be riveted to flanges 39 on the lower edges of the car ends 32.

The outer sheets 18 for the several hoppers are each in one integral piece of plate or sheet metal and at their upper edge portions are riveted to the side sills 17, and at their lower portions said hopper sheets 18 are flanged inwardly, as at 69, 70, the flanges 69 at the left hand ends of said sheets, looking at Figs. 2 and-6, being plain and downwardly and inwardly inclined and coiiperating with the flanges 46 on the frame 42, the'flanges 53 on the frame 50 and the corresponding flanges on the frames 58 and rec till

63, in affording abutments or jambs for the outer edges of the several doors 21. At their right hand end edges, looking at the drawings, the outer hopper sheets 18, have the inwardly turned angular flanges 70, which are riveted to the bottom plates 20, except at the extreme right hand transverse pair of hoppers 15, at which the flanges 7 O are riveted to the main bottom plate 34. The outer side hopper sheets 18 are each in one integral piece conforming generally to the crosssectional outline of the hoppers 15,,and in addition to being riveted to the side sills 17 and to the bottom plates 20 and 34 are also riveted to each other at the adjoining ends of the said hoppers 15, whereat said hopper sheets 18 are formed with vertical flanges 71, 72 at their abutting end portions and riveted together. The outer or rear end hopper sheets 18, at the left, looking at Figs. 1 and 2, have their flange portions 69 extended along below the lower edges of the main inclined plates 35, 36, of the bottom 33, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 6, and are riveted thereto, as denoted at 171, 172. The extreme right hand outer hopper sheets 18, looking at Figs. 1 and 2, have their flanges 70 riveted to the main end bottom plate 34. In each instance the flanges 69 of the outer side hopper sheets 18 afford abutments for the doors 21, and in each instance, except at the extreme right hand side sheets 18, sald sheets 18 have their flanges 7O riveted to bottom plates 20, and said bottom plates 20 are recessed out, as at 73 (Fig. 5), to receive the abutting flanges 71, 72 of said side sheets 18. Fig. 11 illustrates in detail one of the two intermediate adjoining side sheets 18 at what may be said to be the lower side of Fig. 6, and the flange 72 bf one side sheet faces and is riveted to the flange 71 of the adjacent side sheet, and the recess 73 in the bottom plate 20 receives or extends around the abutting flanges 71, 72 of said adjoining side sheets 18.

My invention involves the construction of a hopper car of increased cubical capacity, of increased discharge area and of a desirably low point of center of gravity, together with novelty -in the features of the construction of said car from plate metal in easily constructed and assembled parts. The features of increased cubical capacity and low point of center of gravity are of the highest importance in hopper cars at the present time, and it is also of great importance that hopper cars presenting these essential features may be durable and of ready and comparatively inexpensive construction. In the car of my invention there are a plurality of'hoppers extending downwardly below the center and side sills and the floor line of the car, and each of these hoppers is provided with a'door for the discharge therefrom of the contents of the car.

means The several hoppers extending below the floor line and side and center sills of the car are mainly constructed of bottoms, doors and outer side and inner side hopper sheets, the outer side hopper sheets each being in one integral piece and the companion inner side hopper sheets, together with the hoods connected therewith and extending over the center sills, being respectively in integral frames connected together, to the center sills, to the hopper bottom sheets and to the main inclined end bottoms or plates of the hopper car, and the several hoppers being extended below the side and center sills, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, as nearly as convenient, to the line of the road-bed. The permanent bottoms of the several hoppers 15 all incline in the same direction, and the doors 21 for said hoppers incline in a reverse direction or 011 lines converging with the lines of said bottoms and all of said doors are adapted to be operated in the same direction by a connected series of links by which the doors may receive simultaneous opening and closing movements. It will be observed, without special comment, that the presence of the hoppers 15 arranged as described increases the cubical capacity of the car, since they extend below the floor line and below the side and center sills and do not occupy space hoppers have heretofore occu pied within the body of the car. It will also be seen that the presence of the hoppers 15, in the arrangement described, brings the center of gravity of the load closer to the road-bed, and that the plurality of hoppers 15 with their discharge doors 21 increase the discharge area of the car, thus permitting and is a feature, regardless of minor details,

of my invention, which I regard of importance. The inner side hopper sheets 19 I prefer to make substantially parallel and vertical, as shown, and the outer side hopper sheets 18 I prefer to incline inwardly and downwardly on converging lines, as illustrated in Figs. 6 and 9.

The details of the door operating'm'echanism and some of the other details of the car construction may be modified at will without departure from the scope of my invention, the novel features of which have been heretofore indicated and will be pointed out in the claims.

'- What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l 1. A hopper-car having sides, ends, center and side sills, a plurality of hoppers ex- 1,2ce,11e

,for the discharge ends of said hoppers,

and means for simultaneously operating said doors, said hoppers being arranged in transverse pairs, with their inner hopper sheets formed of frames connected together in series and extending over the center sills and secured thereto and their outer hopper sheets secured to the side sills and connected together in series and said inner and outer hopper sheets also being secured to the hopper-bottoms.

2. A hopper-car having sides, ends, center and side sills, a plurality of hoppers extending downwardly below said side and center sills with the floors of the hoppers below said sills inclined in the same direction,

I hinged downwardly extending doors for the of frames having right angle flanges at their edges and secured together in series at said flanges and extending over the center sills to form a: hood thereover and secured to said center sills, and the outer hopper sheets of said hoppers being secured to the side sills and having right angle flanges at their edges at which they are secured together in series, and said inner and outer hopper sheets also being secured to the hopper-bottoms and affording flanges against which the hopper doors may abut.

3. A hopper-car having sides, ends, center and side sills, a plurality of hoppers extending downwardly below said side and center sills, with the floors of the hoppers below said sills inclined in the same direction, hinged downwardly extending doors for the discharge ends of said hoppers, and means for simultaneously operating said doors, said hoppers being arranged in transverse pairs with their inner hopper sheets secured to the center sills and having right angle flanges at which said sheets are secured together in series, and the outer hopper sheets of said hoppers being secured to the side sills and having right angle flanges at their edges at which they are secured together in seriw, and said inner and outer hopper sheets also being secured to the hopper-bottoms and aflording flanges or jambs against which the hopperdoors may abut.

4. A hopper-car having sides, ends, center and side sills, downwardly and inwardly inclined end floorings, a plurality of hoppers extending downwardly below said side and ing said doors, said hoppers being arranged in transverse pairs with their inner hopper sheets secured to the center sills and having right angle flanges at which said sheets are secured together in series and also right angle flanges at which said sheets are secured to the hopper bottoms, and the outer hopper sheets of said hoppers being secured to the side sills and having right angle flanges at their edges at which they are secured together in series, and further right angle flanges at which they are secured to the hopper bottoms and additional right angle flanges affording jambs against which the hopper doors may abut.

5. A hopper car having sides, ends, center and side sills, downwardlyand inwardly inclined end floorings, a plurality of hoppers extending downwardly below said side and center sills, with the floors of the several hoppers below said sills inclined in the same direction, hinged downwardly extending doors for the discharge sides of said hoppers, and means for simultaneously oper -(ting said doors, said hoppers being arranged in transverse pairs with their inner hopper sheets formed of frames extending over the center sills and secured thereto and having end flanges at which they are secured together and to said end floorings and also flanges to which the hopper bottoms are secured and additional flanges affording jambs against which the hopper doors may abut, and the outer hopper sheets being secured to the side sills and also secured together in series and to said end floorings, and aflording flanges against which the outer edges of the hopper doors may abut.

6. A hopper car having sides, ends, center and side sills, downwardly and inwardly inclined end floorings, a plurality of hoppers extending downwardly below said side and center sills, said hoppers being arranged in transverse pairs and having inner hopper sheets secured together in series and to the center sills and to said end floorings, outer hopper sheets secured together and to -the side sills and said end floorings, hopper bottoms se'cured to said inner and outer hopper sheets and inclined in the same direction, and hinged doors at the discharge sides of said hoppe s with means for simultaneously operating said doors, said doors being connected together in transverse pairs and said inner and outer hopper sheets at the discharge sides of said hoppers aflording abutments against which the said doors may close.

7. A hopper-car having sides, ends, center and side sills, downwardly and inwardly inclined end floorings, a plurality of hoppers extending downwardly below said side and center sills, hinged downwardly extending doors for the discharge sides of said hoppers and permanent bottoms for the other sides of said hoppers, with means for simultaneously operating said doors, said permanent bottoms being plates inclined in the same direction and secured at their edge portions to the inner and outer hopper sheets and having angular members at their upper ends in which are secured angle bars and hinge members for said doors.

8. A hopper car having sides, ends, center and side sills, downwardly and inwardly inclined end floorings, a plurality of hoppers extending downwardly below said center and side sills, hinged doors for'the discharge sides of said hoppers and permanent bottoms for the other sides of .said hoppers, with means for simultaneously operating said doors, said hoppers having outer hopper sheets secured to the side sills and to. one another in series, and said hoppers also having inner side sheets formed by frames extending over said center sills and secured thereto and to one another in series, and the end ones of said frames having edge flanges by which they are secured to said end floorings and which floorings at their'lower portions straddle the center sills.

- 9. A hopper car having sides, ends, center and side sills, downwardly and inwardly inclined end fioorings, a plurality of hoppers extending downwardly below said center and side sills, hinged doors for the discharge sides of said hoppers and permanent bottoms for the other sides of said hoppers, 1

all inclining in the same direction, with means for simultaneously operating said doors, said hoppers having outer hopper sheets secured to the side sills and flanged at their edges at which they are secured to one another in series and also flanged at their lower edges at which they are secured to the hopper bottoms and also at opposite lower edges to afford abutments for said doors, and said hoppers having inner hopper sheets secured to the center sills and to one another in series and to said end floorings.

10. A hopper car having sides, ends, center and side sills, downwardly and inwardly inclined end floorings, a plurality of hoppers extending downwardly below said center and side sills, hinged doors for the discharge sides ofsaid hoppers, and permanent bottoms for the other sides of said hoppers, all inclining in the same direction, with means for simultaneously operating said doors, said hoppers being arranged in transverse pairs, with their outer sheets secured to the side sills and connected together in series and to said end floorings, and said hoppers also having inner side sheets formed by integral plate frames extending over said center sills and secured thereto and to said permanent bottoms and having edge flanges at which they are secured to one another in series, to said end floorings and to said permanent bottoms, and also flanges afl'ording with theouter side sheets abutments for said doors. v

11. A hopper car having sides, ends, center and side sills, downwardly and inwardly inclined end floorings, a plurality ofuhoppers extending downwardly below said center and side sills, hinged doors for the discharge sides of said hoppers and permanent bottoms for the other sides of said hoppers, all said bottoms inclining in the same direction, with means for simultaneously operating said doors, said hoppers being arranged in transverse pairs with their inner sheets secured to the center sills and connected together in series and to said end floorings and their outer sheets secured to said side sills'and to said end floorings and having right angle flanges at which they are secured to one another in series and also to said permanent bottoms, and said outer sheets also having flanges affording abut-- ments for said doors.

Signed at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 3rd day of August, A. D. 1917.

EDWARD D. HILLMAN.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR MARION, CHAS. C. GILL. 

